Building frame structure



June 18, 1940. H. w. B'UELOW 7 BUILDING FRAME STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 3,1938 11v VENTOR aelam A TTORNE Ys.

Patented June 18, 1940 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUILDING FRAMESTRUCTURE Henry W. Buelow, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 3, 1938, Serial No. 233,014

Claims. (01. 189-36) The present invention relates to building frameGeorge Buelow. As described and claimed in that structures, andparticularly to the provisions of patent, these members, which may beformed of improved bridging or like members adapted to either single ordouble web construction, are form a supporting or reinforcing connectionbecharacterized as being formed of two angle or 5 tween adjacentstructural members; and is a channel members arranged in back-to-backre- 6 continuation in part of applicant's co-pending lation and rigidlysecured together with the opapplication, Serial No. 41,364, filedSeptember 20, posed and adjacent faces in spaced relation. 1935. Theseopposed and adjacent faces are corrugated A principal object of thepresent invention is in the direction of their length, the corrugations10 to provide ametal framing structure having imof one beingcomplementary to the corrugations 10 proved bridging and supportingconnections beof the other. Those portions of members which tween thestructural members thereof, and an are opposed and adjacent each otherare of rigid improved method of erecting the same. and self-supportingcharacter and they are so Further objects of the present invention arespaced with respect to each other as to form beto provide a bridging orsupporting connection tween them asinuous slotof such character that 15between a pair of spaced structural members, when a nail or similarfastener of the character wherein the structural members are providedintended for use therewith is driven into the slot with expansibleflanges, and wherein the bridging between the members in a directiontransverse to or supporting member is formed at its ends to. the slot,the nail or fastener is caused to bend interlock with such flanges,whereby a nail or d 10 approximately fOllOW e SinuOSity of the 20 otherfastener may be driven through such ends slot to h r y positively fixthe l r fa n into the flanges to expand the same into gripping in poWith respect to t e members. With engagement with such ends. thisconstruction, a substantial portion of the With the above as well asother and more dee ect o y simp y nailing p s together in the tailedobjects in view, which appear in the folmanner now customary in theerection of wooden 25 lowing description, and in the appended claims,frame structures. I preferred but illustrative embodiments of the in-The p v n of the present ppli ti Veniion are Shown i the m y g drawing,are specifically directed to improved bridging and throughout theseveral views of which ntrimmer joist arrangements, characterized, inone so spending reference characters are u d t desigsense, in thatbridging'of trimmer joist elements nate corresponding parts, and inwhich; are provided at their ends with parts adapted to Figure ,1 is aview in perspective of th 1 interlock with the flanges of associatedjoists or proved bridging arrangement of the present inequivalentmembers, whereby a nail Or othe vention; fastener may be driven throughsuch ends into Fig. 2 is a detailed view of an individual bridgt eexpansible flan es 0f e J' S as t e 35 ing member; pand the same intogripping engagement with Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vi of a modified thebridging element or trimmer joist. The imbridging arrangement;provements to which the present application is Fig. 4 is a detailed vieof th bridging directed are, however, susceptible of a more gen- 40 mentshown in Fig, 3; and eral use than that indicated and the illustration40 Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a trimmer of such improvements inconnection with bridging joist arrangement embodying th i ti and trimmerjoist arrangements is not, therefore,

In accordance with the invention disclosed in be considered in alimiting s e. the above identified parent application, Serial Referringto 1, it Will be understood t No. 41,364, a complete framing structurfor members l0 may represent floor joists or other 45 h s, as well asfor a wid Variety of th structural members, and thataplurality ofbridgstructures, may comprise a relatively few standing membersPreferably arranged in p s, a e ard shapes. These structural shapes mayb distributed along the lengthof members H] to erected through use of arelatively few, economireinforce them and hold them in predetermined 5ocally formed attaching elements, spaced relation to each other. Themembers I0 The main structural members, which may be are of I section,and embody the construction of I, T, or channel section, are preferablyof the claimed in the aforesaid Patent No. 1,900,541.

type disclosed in Patent No. 1,900,541, granted Referring to Fig. 2, apreferred bridging mem- March 7, 1933, on application Serial No.548,134, ber 12 is formed of channel section with the ends filed July 1,1931, by the present applicant and oppositely notched at I4. Each notchI4 is 55 slightly in excess of the width of the joist flanges.

formed by cutting a rectangular section from one leg and correspondinglycutting the channel web. The inner face of each notch I4 is providedwith an inwardly extruding notch I6 of generally V form, for a purposementioned later. Each flange end portion not notched is pierced at I9opposite the corresponding notch to permit nailing of the bridgingmember to an associated member such as I0.

It will be understood that the spacing between the bases of the notchesI6 is substantially equal to but slightly less than the spacing betweenthe marginal edge of an upper flange on one of the members I0 and themarginal edge of the lower flange of a companion member II]. It willfurther be understood that the spacing between the notch edges Ma andM17 of each notch I4 is With this relation, a bridging member I2 may bepreliminarily positioned with respect to the two joists ID, a part of aflange of each joist being received in the corresponding notch I6. Thisposition of the bridging member I2 may be effected by first insertingthe flange of one joist into one notch I6, swinging the other end of thebridging member to a position at an angle to the normal dispositionthereof, suflicient to permit the flange of the other joist to beinserted in the notch I4 at the corresponding end, and thereafterreswinging the bridging member to a position at right angles to the twojoists.

With the parts in this position, the end portions may be bent along thelines 20 and 22, bringing the portions I8 parallel with and in abuttingrelation to the flange surfaces. The positioning is completed by bendingthe extremities 24 of the end sections around behind the joist flangesalong the lines 22.

The assembly is completed by driving nails 26 or other fasteningelements through the openings I9 therein and into the slots Illa formedin each joint flange. This operation, as described in the aboveparagraph, expands the flanges so that the opposite marginal edgesthereof bear solidly against the bases of the corresponding notches I6and against the opposite faces I4a of the corresponding notch I4. Theinsertion of the nail or other fastener also deforms the same, due tothe curvature of the nailing groove in joist I 0, thus firmly securingthe nail or other fastener in place. The resultant assembly is thereforeone which can very readily and economically be erected and which at thesame time is thoroughly rigid and effective.

In the modified embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, thebridging element 30 is of generally channel shape, the web and oneflange whereof are cut away at each end, leaving the remaining flangeportions 32 and 34 extending beyond the ends of the intermedi atechannel portion. The bridging element 30 may be preliminarily positionedwith respect to its associated joists or other members III in the mannerdescribed above with reference to the bridging member 30. After suchpreliminary positioning, the extreme end portion 34 of each flangeportion 32 is bent down and around beneath the corresponding flangeportion III" of the associated joist. It will be understood alsothat'the opposite marginal flange edge lies closely adjacent theabutment 36 constituted by the end of the web of the bridging member.The assembly is completed as described above by passing a nail or otherfastener 38 through each flange portion 32 into the joist nailinggroove,

which action expands the flange into tight gripping engagement with thebridging member.

It will be understood that it is frequently desirable to form aconnection between the adjacent joists or other structural members whichserves as a support for a partition or the like. An example of such aninstance is in connection with non-bearing partitions which may lieparallel to but between two adjacent joists. In such instances, as wellas others, the improved trimmer joist of the present invention may beused to advantage. 7

Referring particularly to Fig. 5, trimmer joist 40 comprises a Tsection, the ends 42 of which are deformed to provide U-shaped memberswhich rest upon adjoining joists or other members 44. As will beunderstood, the web 44 is cut away throughout-each U-shaped portion, as

indicated at 48. The U-shaped portions 42 are knocked up from the mainlevel of the flange to an extent substantially equalto the thickness ofthe flanges of joists 44, so that after erection of the trimmer joiststhe central section of the flange 50 is of the same level as the tops ofthe flanges of the main joist 44. The ends 52 of the U-shaped sections42 are turned down and, after the trimmer joist is in place, the extremeend portions are turned under the flanges of the main joists 44.

As in the case of the bridging members, the end portions 42 of eachtrimmer joist 40 are provided with nailing openings, through whichfasteners such as 54 may be passed to expand the flanges of the joists44 into gripping engagement with the lateral sides of the U-shapedportions 42, thus firmly locking the trimmer joist in place with respectto the joists 44.

Although only specific embodiments of the invention have been describedin detail, it will be appreciated that various modifications in the formand arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scopethereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a structural assembly, a connection between a pair of spacedmembers each having an expansible flange, comprising a unitary memberhaving an intermediate portion formed to extend between said members andhaving end portions integral with said intermediate portion and disposedto interlock with said flanges respectively, said end portions beingdimensioned to wedge on said flanges when the latter are expanded, and afastening element operatively associated with each said flange so as toeffect said expansion of the corresponding flange.

2. In a structural assembly, a connection between a pair of spacedmembers at least one whereof has an expansible flange, comprising amember having an intermediate portion formed to extend between Saidmembers and having at least one end portion constituted by an abutmentand a bendable tongue, said tongue being bent around said flange so thatwhen said flange is expanded it is wedged between said bent tongue andsaid abutment, and a fastening element operatively associated with saidflange so as to eflect said expansion of said flange.

3. In 'a structural assembly, a connection between a pair of spacedstructural members each having expansible flanges; comprising a memberhaving an intermediate portion disposed to extend diagonally betweensaid flanges, and having end portions disposed to interlock with saidflanges, said end portions being disposed to wedge on said flanges whenthe latter are expanded,

and a fastening element operatively associated with said flange so as toeffect said expansion of said flange.

4. In a frame structure, a connection between two spaced members eachhaving an expansible flange comprising an element having a flat centralsection of predetermined thickness and end sections of correspondingthickness, said end sections being knocked up from said central sectionsubstantially the thickness of said end sections, and said end sectionsbeing disposed to interlock with said flanges when the latter areexpanded, and a fastening element operatively associated with eachflange to expand it into interlocked relation to the corresponding endsection.

5. In a structural assembly, a connection between a pair of spacedmembers each having an expansible flange and disposed so that a memberextending diagonally between them overlies said flanges, comprising abridging member extending diagonally between said spaced members, saidbridging member having end portions each constituted by an abutment anda bendable tongue, each said tongue being bent around the correspondingflange so that when said corresponding flange is expanded it is wedgedbetween the associated tongue and abutment, and a fastening elementpassed through each end portion into the corresponding flange so as toeffect said expansion of said corresponding flange,

HENRY W. BUELOW.

